Choueki Tarou
Choueki Tarou is a Japanese VTuber who debuted in 2018, joined upd8, and plays an ex-yakuza prison inmate.
Choueki Tarou (Japanese: 懲役太郎) is a Japanese virtual YouTuber who began activity in July 2018 and was part of the upd8 project from 2018 to 2020. He is known for his prison inmate character. In the character's backstory he is a former yakuza member with several prison terms, and he comments on life inside prisons, the criminal underworld and current events.
Profile
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Debut | July 14, 2018 (start of activity) |
| Birthday | August 31 (character setting) |
| Agency | upd8 (September 28, 2018 to December 31, 2020) |
| Character type | Virtual prison inmate, "Three prior convictions, number 893" (setting) |
| Language | Japanese |
| Channel | Choueki Tarou Channel (懲役太郎チャンネル) |
Career
Choueki Tarou started his activity as a virtual YouTuber on July 14, 2018, on the YouTube channel Choueki Tarou Channel. His concept stood out at a time when most virtual YouTubers had idol or anime-style designs. He presents himself as an inmate who talks to viewers from a "virtual jail" during the visiting hours he is allowed. The concept quickly drew attention from viewers and from the wider Japanese virtual YouTuber scene.
On September 28, 2018, he joined upd8, a virtual YouTuber support project. He stayed with it until December 31, 2020. During this time, official merchandise was released under the upd8 brand, including a large acrylic key chain in May 2020. His activities later reached audiences outside Japan as well. He appeared on a Japanese-language program by the Australian broadcaster SBS, which described him as an author, singer and telephone counsellor besides his work as a virtual YouTuber.
In October 2024, monetization of his main channel was suspended. At first the cause was unclear, and he called the situation effectively a retirement. The suspension was later traced to a video he had left unlisted as reference material for a yakuza-themed manga. In an August 30 video titled "There's an Important Announcement from the Choeki Taro Channel", the channel announced that monetization had been restored.
Activities
Streaming style
His videos centre on talk content. He explains what goes on inside prisons, describes the realities of the underworld from the character's point of view, and discusses the background to criminal cases in the news. He also comments on politics, social problems and culture. Coverage of his channel has noted that he mixes the experiences described in his backstory with humour, which has gained him an audience among both younger and older viewers.
Music and works
- Gokudou Paradise (2023), a manga series credited to Choueki Tarou as author
- Official upd8-branded merchandise, including a large acrylic key chain (2020)
Characteristics
He opens his videos with the self-introduction "Three prior convictions, number 893 — I'm Choeki Taro". The number 893 is a well-known Japanese wordplay on "yakuza". The character is described as a former member of a yakuza organization who has served three prison terms, and the inmate setting shapes both how he presents himself and what his videos cover. The character also claims that nothing good had happened in his life until his YouTube debut. Media coverage has noted that his virtual YouTuber activities brought him attention from Japanese celebrities and the press.
External Links
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